GregHowley.com

Mobile Want!

August 30, 2013 -

Back in 2011, I wrote about portable games I was wishing existed. Since then, phone and tablet gaming has only gotten bigger. I've purchased and played the only game on that list that ever became a mobile game: The 7th Guest. My original list didn't include Baldur's Gate, but now you can play Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition on the iPad. It also didn't include Big Fish's Fairway Solitaire, which I played the heck out of on my PC. Now I've got it on my phone, and I'm playing it even more. I also recently purchased the Android version of the Dreamcast classic Crazy Taxi, which I can play with the Moga Controller I got for free at Pax East 2013.

When I first assembled my 2013 list of games I wished would go mobile, Starcraft and Dungeon Keeper were right at the top, but I'd forgotten all the others on my original list, like Elite Beat Agents, which would be amazing as a mobile game with DLC.

I'm now playing the heck out of UniWar, which is a mobile multiplayer async turn-based strategy game that has a lot in common with Starcraft, but given the nature of the mobile platform, this turn-based game probably works far better than a real-time game would. Now, I have four others to add to the list.

First, Dungeons and Dragons: Tactics. This is one of the two games for which I bought my PSP. It's as good a strategic combat game as any I've played, and while it works fine on the PSP, I think it could work even better on a multitouch screen. The market for D&D games is arguable, but those strategic combat RPGs really scratch an itch for me.

Pixeljunk Monsters is another game I love - it's the other game for which I bought that PSP. You can now buy Pixeljunk Monsters Ultimate on Steam - It just became available this week, and I've been playing it. But wouldn't it be a great game to play on your phone?

Atom Zombie Smasher would be another great one for mobile. Blendo is a very small developer, and has never made any move towards mobile gaming, but I'd love to see it.

Lastly, a game I've been a fan of for quite a while: The Typing of the Dead. How great would it be if they updated and converted it to The Texting of the Dead and put it on mobile phones? I'd be all over that.